Spark-plug



T. E. HALL.

- SPARK PLUG. APPLicATmN FILED 0cT.H,1919.

www@ me. my 192m UNITED .rxr-1 PATET FFIC.

THOMAS E. HALL, OF OTTUMWA, IOT/VA.

SPARK-PLUG.

Application filed October 11, 1919. Serial No. 330,040.

T 0 all whom, 'it may concern.'

Be it known that l. rfi-lonas E. HALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ottumwa` in the county et' lVapello and State ot' lowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Plugs, of whichthe 'following is a specification.

This invention relates to iniprovements in spark plugs especiallyadapted tor use on internal combustion engines.

An important object ot' this invention is to provide. a spark plughaving novel means t'or intensifying the spark at. the sparking' pointot the plug whereby, the :ucumulation ot' carbon is reduced in the'cylinders of the motor and the tuel consumption also reduced. r

A further object is to provide a spark plug having a sectional insulatoradapted to .withstand a maximum ot strain due to vibration, etc.,whereby breakage ot' the plug is reduced to a minimum.

A 't'urther object is to provide a spark plug having an insulatort'ormcd ot a pair of sections and novel meansl to space the sectionswhereby the several parts o'll the spark plug are rendered Vt'rce toexpand under the. influence ol'l heat without causing a leakage in theplug.

A further object ot the invention vis to provide a spark plug ot thecharacter described which is efficient. ot highly simplifiedconstruction, and cheap to mamit'acture.

Other objects and advantages oli the invention will be. apparent duringthe course ot the following description.

ln the aceoml'niuying drawing vtoi-ming a part of this al'iplication andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same,

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a spark plug embodying theinvention.

Fig. l is a. Vertical section through a moditied l'orin ot' insulator.

Fig. 3 a perspective of a spacing element en'ibodied in the invention`Fig. 4 is a plan view ot' the lower insuA lator section illustrated inFig. 2. i

In the drawing wherein Ytor the purpose of illustration is shown severalpreferred embodiments ot the invention. the numeral 5 designates theshell o'l a` spark plug having the yusual exterior screw threads (iadapted to engage the screw threads ot' the spark plug opening in aninternal combusannular shoulder tion engine cylinder. An

5 and is adapted '7 is iormed on the shell t'or forcing a gasket intogas-tight engagement with the. upper side otl the. cylinder to which thespark plug is applied as is eustoiuary in spark plugs of standardconstruction. rThe upper portion of the shell 5 is provided withpolygonal sides 8 adapted to be engaged by a wreneh 'for applying theplug.

'vl`he invention includes upper and lower insulator sections Sl and l()respectively, which are retained in spaced relation by a spacing element11 ot' insulating' material.

Gaskets 12 and 12% surround the sections ol the insulator and engageannular shoulders 1l and 15 formed on the same. The

with the gasket 1;) `t'or preventing the leakage ot compression throughthe plug is mounted on an annular shoulder 16 formed in the interior ot'the shell. A locking nut 1T is adapted to secure the. sections 9 and 1t)ot the insulator in position and is also adapted to torce the gasketsinto gas tight engagement with the inner wall ot' the shell. A\sillustrated in Fig. l. the sides of the annular shoulder '1l and 15 incontact with the gaskets are inclined by Jforcing the gaskets tightly'into engagement with the inner side w-all of the shell.

conductor 1S is extended centrally through lthe upper insulator section9 and hasl its upper end portion screw threaded tor engagen-ient with abinding post 19 ywhich is adapted Vl'or connection with one terminal ota tced wire.

"l`he lower end portion ot' the upper conductor 1H extends beyond theinsulator 9 and is pointed as indicated at Qt). The pointed extension2l) of the lower end of the conductor 1h is received within a Cen trallyarranged opening Q1 in the annular spacing clement 11 and is arrangedup- \vardl \v trom the upper terminal of a second conductor 2Q. Asillustrated in Fig. 1, the conductor 2Q is in the. t'orm ot1 a wirecable constructtal ot' a plurality ol twisted strands ot tine copperwire. The, upper .end portion ot' the cable Z2 terminates flush with theupper end ot' the lower insulator 10 for toi-ming a-spark gap betweenthe pointed extension 20 and the upper conductor 18. rl`he spark gapthus termed between the adsol aol

nso

rent to jump the same in order to reach the firing point of the plug.The .spark gap thus formed intensities the spark at the sparking pointsand thereby causes the spark to completely ignite the charge of gasWithin the cylinder. The lower end portion of the cable 22 terminatesflush with the lower end of the insulator l() and is arranged in spacedrelation to a pair of stationary electrodes 23. The stationaryelectrodes are curved downwardly and up- Wardly toward the end of thecable 22,

whereby an efficient spark point is provided between the cable 22 andthe electrodes.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the upperinsulator 24 1s provided with a centrally arranged conductor 25 havingits lower end portion extended beyond the adjacent end ot' the insulatorand split to provide four sparking points 26. The lower insulator 27 isprovided with a plurality of spaced parallel conductors 28 arranged inspaced relation to the split sections 26 of the upper conductor 25. Theupper and lower ends of the conductors 28 which are of copper wireterminate flush with the upper and` lower ends ot' the insulators forpreventing the bending ot' the .end portions of the same. as a resultoi' their In assembling the form ot' the lightless. inventlonillustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the insulator 27 is first arranged Withinthe shell `and the spacing element is subsequently placed upon the same.The upper insulator 24- is now mounted upon the spacing element l1. andthe split sections 26 ot the conductor 25 are thereby arranged in spacedrelation to the'upper ends of the condurtors 2S.

- As illustrated in Fig. 3, the spacing element ll is formed of aplurality ot built up annular layers of mica some of which may beremoved for spacing the ends of the conductors the desired distance.

'l The spacing element l1 permits of the expansion of the severalelements of the plug upon being heated without the possibility ot'leakage of compression. Further in forming the insulator in twosections, the same are less liable to break as the result of eX- eessive'heatand are also enabled to Withstand strain and vibration during use.

It is to be understood that the form ot the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of thesame and thatsuch minor changes in arrangement and the construction of pfuts may bemade as will remain withir the yspirit ot' the invention and the scopeoir what is claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A spark plug including a shell, upper and lower insulators arrangedwithin the shell, a conductor carried by said upper insulator and havingits lower end portion eX tended beyond the lower end ot the upper vsparking points ot said iirst named conduc. tol.

and an electrode carried by the lower of said shell.

2. A spark plug comprising a shell, upper and lower insulators arrangedwithin said shell. a conductor extending centrally through said upperinsulator and having its lower end portion extended beyond the lower endof the upper insulator and formed with a plurality ot' outwardlydiverging sparking points` a plurality of spaced par allel conductorsextending through said lower insulator and arranged in rectangularformation, the upper ends of said spaced parallel conductors being iiushwith the upper end ot' the lower insulator 'and arranged directlybeneath the outwardly diverging sparking points of said first namedconductor, an electrode carried by said shell, and means spacing theupper and lower insulator sections.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

THOMAS E. HALL. [1.. s]

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